Francesca Ambrogetti - Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio: His Life in His Own Words

As far as I know,this has to be the first time in two thousand years that a rabbi has writtenthe foreword for a book about the thoughts of a Catholic priest. An act all themore significant when said priest is the archbishop of Buenos Aires and acardinal consecrated by Pope John Pau l II.

I saw the same sentence above, with which I beginthese reflections, but with the names and titles reversed, when one of my ownbooks was launched in 2006 with a foreword by then Cardinal Bergoglio.

It is not about an exchange of favors, but rather asincere and accurate testimony to a profound dialogue between two friends forwhom the search for God and the spiritual dimension that lies in every humanbeing was and is a constant concern.

Interreligious dialogue, whichacquired special significance after the Second Vatican Council, usually beginswith a stage of "tea and sympathy" before moving on to the trickiersubjects. With Bergoglio, there was no such stage. Our conversation began withan exchange of terrible jokes about eachother's favored soccer teams and went immediately to the candor of sincere andrespectful dialogue. Each of us expressed to the other his particular visionabout the many subjects that shape life. There were no calculations oreuphemisms, just clear and direct ideas. One opened his heart to the other,just as the Midrash defines true friendship ( Sifrei Devarim , Piska 305). We sometimes disagree, but each always tries tounderstand the deep feeling and thoughts of the other. And with all thatemerges from our shared values, those that come from the prophetic texts, thereis a commitment that has been manifested in various actions. Beyond anyinterpretation or criticism that others might make, we walk together with ourtruth, with the shared conviction that the vicious cycles that degrade thehuman condition can be broken. With faith that the path of history can andshould be changed, that the biblical vision of a redeemedworld, as foreseen by the prophets, is not a mere Utopia, but an achievable reality that needs only committed people to make it real.

This book is the life testimony of Bergoglio and wasoriginally published with the title El Jesuita (The Jesuit), though I prefer to call him "thepastor." He dedicates it to the many who share his existential path andespecially to his flock. The reader will repeatedly find expressions such as:"I have sinned ... I was wrong... Such and such were my failings...Time or life has taught me..." Even in the tricky topics that come withArgentine reality, with the Church's actions during the dark years, and withhis own actions, readers will hear stories told with humility, and they willsee his constant thirst to understand and empathize with his neighbors,especially those who are suffering.

Some will disagree with his assessments, but beyondall possible criticism, everyone will agree on the considered nature, thehumility, and the compassion with which he confronts every one of his topics.

Bergoglio's obsession, the leitmotif woven throughoutthe book, can be defined in these words: coming together and unity,understanding these as a state of harmony among men, in which everyonecooperates for both the material and the spiritual growth of everyone else,inspired by love.

Following biblical text, Bergoglio centers hisreflections on the word "love," and refers to the following verses,among others: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with your wholeheart" (Deuteronomy 6:5); "You shall love your neighbor asyourself" (Leviticus 19:18); "You shall treat the alien who resideswith you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love thealien as yourself" (Leviticus 19:34). "Love" is the word that definesthe most exalted of man's feelings, and serves Bergoglio as a source ofinspiration in the realization of his actions and in the forming of hismessage.

The reader will find in this book Bergoglio's visionwith respect to the problems currently facing the Catholic Church, detailingwithout reservation and in clear critical language its failings. The teacher offaith, in accordance with the biblical worldview, should express his criticismto all members of the society in which he preaches, from the pulpit of thespirit, which is far away from all partisan interest.

In my own childhood, my father, an immigrant born in Poland, used to take my brother and me to visit historical places.Leaving the Cabildo , he pointed out the image on thecathedral's faade. It represents the meeting of Joseph and his brothers, hesaid. I had heard about the anti-Semitism that my Polish ancestors experienced,and that image, decorating the top of a church, overwhelmed me with hope. A daywill come, I thought, in which everyone will recognize their brotherhood withtheir neighbors.

I see this book andmany of the stories in it as a tribute to that hope, a hope that we have sharedas brothers for many wars, that has enriched our spiritual lives, and thatsurely has brought us closer to that which blows the breath of life into everyhuman being.

Rabbi Abraham Skorka

Buenos Aires,

December23, 2009